Murder, of Course

by Diane Weiner

  “Those are good questions. We don’t yet know what her specialty was.”

  “Any new criminal cases around here?” she asked casually, as if she was asking what was for dinner that night. “She could be a defense lawyer…for a murderer.”

  “New criminal cases? This is a safe little town.” She watched Maddy’s expression. “Okay, so the biker was an exception.”

  Maddy said, “What was her name again? I’ll google her. Falls Church, right?”

  “Yes, and it’s Danielle LaPierre. D-A-N…”

  “I can spell Danielle. And it’s L-A-P…”

  “Okay, okay. Go for it.” She wondered how Maddy’s phone always had service, when her own was spotty at best.

  After a few minutes, Maddy said, “Got it. She’s an estate lawyer. Maybe one of the residents is going to inherit some money.”

  “Well, I know for sure it isn’t me or Henry.” She was amazed Maddy had found the information so quickly. Henry was right. Maddy was both intelligent and inquisitive. He couldn’t believe how fast she’d gotten the hang of the Sudoku puzzles he was so fond of. She wondered if Sugarbury High had gifted classes—was it too late to get her in? Did they still have gifted classes?

  They came around a bend and the outlet mall was in full view. Emily parked as close to the American Eagle and Pink outlets as she could. Would Maddy need a backpack? A tote? The Coach outlet was at the other end of the mall.

  Maddy said, “American Eagle has nice jeans. Mom used to take me there for back to school shopping in Chicago.”

  “You got those shorts you’re wearing in that store last time we were here, remember?”

  “Yeah.” She followed Emily into the mall. Back to school sales were running rampant, even at the outlets. Maddy rifled through the jeans.

  Emily felt awkward. She didn’t even know what size Maddy wore. She pulled a few cute tops from the rack. “Do you like these?”

  “They’re okay. I’m going to try these on.” She headed toward the dressing room with an armful of pants, ignoring the bundle in Emily’s arms. She was once again overthinking the whole parenting thing, when a colleague from school came up beside her.

  “Emily, back to school shopping? I’ve already spent a small fortune on my daughter.”

  Emily wondered how much was considered a fortune. She had no idea what the average parent should spend on back to school shopping. “Maddy’s in the fitting room. I haven’t been back to school shopping since my own senior year in high school. I hope Maddy adjusts to her new school. Her middle school back in Chicago was three times the size of Sugarbury High.”

  Nancy said, “It’s easier going from big to small than the other way around. She’ll be fine. Are you ready to start the new semester?”

  “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve spent all summer designing my new course. By the way, have you met our new department chair?”

  “Mair Rose? Yeah, I met her. I brought some new office supplies over the other day and she was strolling the halls with her clipboard and checklist. Walked right past me when I said hello. Looks like a witch with jet black hair and pasty skin.”

  “I wasn’t crazy about her tone in an email she sent me. Too bad Shera went and got herself that assistant dean job at Boston U. I liked her a lot.”

  “Everyone did.”

  A freckled blond in distressed jeans and a shirt that barely grazed her belt said, “Mom, can I get both of these and the sweatshirt?”

  “How much?” said Nancy. She searched for the price tags. “Okay, but our shopping budget is now officially exhausted. Brooke, this is Emily Fox. Her office is next to mine. Her daughter, Maddy, will be starting school with you.”

  Maddy came out of the dressing room.

  “How’d those work out?” said Emily.

  “They’re good.”

  “Maddy, this is my colleague, Nancy Patterson, and her daughter…”

  “Brooke. Hey, I have those same jeans. Your Mom says you’ll be starting school with me.”

  Emily felt that familiar shiver, part excitement, part fight or flight, whenever someone referred to her as Maddy’s mother.

  Maddy glanced at the floor, then up at Brooke. “I’ll be there.”

  Brooke handed Maddy her phone. “Put in your number. We have a group chat going and this way you’ll feel like you know some people before you start.”

  Emily said, “Isn’t that sweet.” She gulped when she realized she sounded like her own grandmother making a comment like that.

  Nancy said, “We’re going to head home now that the money’s all spent. I’ll see you Monday, Emily.”

  Chapter 3

  Henry took advantage of his free Saturday by catching up with his pal Pat over lunch at The Outside Inn. He was glad Emily hadn’t objected to his bowing out of back to school shopping. Succumbing to Maddy’s influence, Henry ordered a grilled veggie sandwich; Pat went for the burger and fries.

  “Doesn’t looking at clogged arteries and fatty livers down at the morgue convince you to eat healthier?”

  “Just the opposite. Reminds me life is short. Eat burgers. Drink beer while you’re at it.” He raised his beer stein in a toast. “I hate drinking alone. Come on; we’re both off duty.”

  “Maybe just one.” He motioned to the waitress and ordered a pumpkin craft beer. “Any more news on the dead lawyer?”

  “Carbon monoxide level was sky high, even for an accidental death.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “It had to be deliberate.”

  “And this is you talking, or your girlfriend the detective?”

  “Both. Megan said the fireplace was blocked.”

  “You mean, like stuffed with leaves?”

  “No, Kurt had a chimney sweep in there right after he bought the place. It was intentional. Chimney was stuffed with old clothing.”

  “Really? That’s hard to believe.” Henry had a sudden thought. “I hope whoever it was wasn’t after Chloe. If they find out they missed…”

  “Chloe’s safely away at graduate school. We know nothing about the lawyer. Who knows what enemies she had?”

  The waitress brought lunch to the table. Henry’s mind sped through the possibilities. Young, pretty lawyer…jealous boyfriend, deranged husband…estate deal gone wrong…

  Pat said, “You saw the victim. Did you notice anything unusual at all?”

  “Like I told your girlfriend, I found a piece of plastic foam on the front lawn. Kurt said he was planning to seal the cracks but not for a few weeks yet.”

  “Megan asked me if the victim smoked. They found an empty cigarette pack outside by the trash can. I did the autopsy myself and the victim was definitely not a smoker. And I know Kurt doesn’t smoke.”

  A chatty group of three, two women and a man, entered the restaurant area wearing identical long sleeved t-shirts. They were of similar ages and both of the women had handbags shaped like cats. Coralee seated them near the window.

  “Tourists,” said Pat.

  “All wearing I Love my Cat t-shirts? That’s just, well, just weird.”

  Coralee stopped at their table on her way back out to the lobby.

  “Boy’s day out? I heard Emily say she was taking Maddy to the outlet mall this weekend.”

  “Yep. Emily is hoping some retail therapy might cheer Maddy up about starting school. She’s missing her friends back in Chicago.”

  “Poor girl. Starting high school is tough enough but in a new place where you don’t know any of the other kids? It was a tough time for Noah and he grew up here.”

  Henry said, “What do you mean?” He knew Noah had some brushes with the law, but knew little about his earlier years.

  “You know, high school can be very cliquey, especially in a small town like this. Noah always felt like an outsider.” She looked at Henry’s worried expression. “Not to say Maddy will have trouble. Noah marches to the beat of his own drummer. I’m sure Maddy will fit in just fine.”

  Henry hoped that wo
uld be true, however, in the short time they’d been Maddy’s guardians, he knew she was no ordinary cookie. She was exceptionally bright, and didn’t buy into a lot of mainstream ideas. She’d rather sit in her room with a book than spend hours on––what was it she thought was a waste of time? Snap Chat, that was it. And how many of her classmates wouldn’t think she was weird for eating tofu instead of cheeseburgers?

  Pat chugged the remainder of his beer. “Coralee, what’s with the cat ladies over by the window?”

  “Haven’t you seen the local news? Final auditions for a national cat food commercial are taking place right here in our little old town. It’s sponsored by that cat food company, Feline Feast out of Burlington. The winning cat gets to be the face of the company, and the owner gets a half a million-dollar prize… plus free cat food for life.”

  Pat laughed. “So it’s the cat equivalent of America’s Got Talent?”

  “No,” laughed Henry. “America’s Next Runway Cat Model.”

  “Laugh all you want, boys. It’s bringing lots of business to the inn and to the town in general. Hey, Sugarbury Falls even got a mention on the national news.”

  Pat turned to Henry. “We should run down to the shelter and adopt ourselves some contenders. There’s a project for your daughter.”

  Henry found himself liking the word daughter. “She’s excellent with Chester.”

  Pat said, “Eureka. She should enter him.”

  Coralee shook her head. “Hate to burst your bubble, boys, but that ship has sailed. The company’s been having mass auditions all year in cities across the country.”

  “You mean like a cattle call?” said Pat

  “No, a cat call,” said Henry. “I wasn’t far off with the runway reference.”

  “Knock it off, boys. You can laugh all you want, but only four finalists were chosen and there they are.”

  “I count three,” said Pat.

  “Unfortunately, Danielle, God rest her soul, is no longer with us. Her cat, Max, was one of the finalists.”

  Henry’s phone vibrated. “It’s Emily. She and Maddy are on their way home.”

  “How about some dessert before you go?” said Coralee.

  “I’ll take a slice of your blueberry pie,” said Pat.

  “Ditto,” said Henry. “And another beer.”

  Chapter 4

  When Henry drove into his driveway, Emily’s car wasn’t yet in its spot. He seized the opportunity to work on Maddy’s bookshelf in the barn he’d converted to a woodworking shop. He wondered if someday the shelf might be handed down to Maddy’s child—his grandchild. He had abandoned the idea of having children when he’d decided he wanted to spend his life with Emily, who was firmly opposed to having children. Truthfully, it had barely phased him. Growing up an only child, he was close to his parents and considered himself lucky not having to share his things and put up with the household chaos like his friends with siblings did. Why had Maddy coming into his life changed all this?

  He sanded the freshly cut wood and was about to start applying primer when Kurt knocked on the barn door and slid it open.

  “You work fast. Last week when I came by you were just starting.” Prancer licked Henry’s arm.

  “I love working with my hands. This gave me a project to focus on. I couldn’t decide whether to paint it white, or just stain it, but the primer sort of flew into my hands.” He didn’t say how he pictured a little granddaughter coming to visit and how he would fill it with science books, and maybe those Encyclopedia Brown mysteries he used to love as a child. He imagined Emily stenciling roses or Maddy’s name along the side of it.

  “I just got a weird call from some cat groomer. Said she’d been trying to get in touch with Ms. LaPierre and she’d given my number as an emergency contact.”

  “Emergency contact for a groomer? That doesn’t sound right.”

  “Danielle left a cat with her. Said something about getting it ready for his big debut, whatever that means. Anyhow, she wants to know what to do with it. She doesn’t have room to keep boarding him.”

  Henry put the pieces together. “Coralee said Danielle was in town for some bigtime cat commercial. There were three entrants at the inn having lunch.”

  “Cat commercial?” Kurt winced.

  “Don’t get me started.” He heard Emily’s car pull into the driveway. “They’re home. I wonder if Emily knows anything about it.”

  Prancer ran to the barn door. He jumped up to greet Maddy, licking her cheek.

  “Did you buy out the stores?” asked Henry. Maddy giggled from Prancer’s sloppy kisses.

  “Got a few things.” She pulled a small bag from her purse. “Got you toffee bars.”

  “You stopped at the Sugar-buried Shoppe? I love you!” As soon as he said it, he wondered if he’d embarrassed her, but then he saw a smile break out on her face, even as she turned her head down to conceal it. He grabbed a handful out of the bag.

  Kurt said, “Do you two know anything about the cat auditions that are in town?”

  “Cat auditions?” Maddy’s voice had a lilt as she spoke.

  “I heard something about it,” said Emily. “Why do you ask?”

  “I got a call from a groomer who says she has my renter’s cat. Henry says he heard there’s an audition going on and putting two and two together, I’m guessing it’s her cat.”

  “If the renter is dead, then who’s going to take in her cat?” said Maddy.

  Kurt scratched Prancer behind the ears. “I guess it’ll go to the shelter.”

  Maddy shrieked, “No, you can’t do that. The poor cat lost its owner and she’ll be devastated. It’s really hard losing someone you love. Can’t we take her in? Please?”

  Henry looked at Emily. “It’s okay by me.”

  “Adding a new animal to the mix isn’t always easy. Chester is rather set in his ways.”

  “He’ll get used to it,” said Maddy. “I’ll bet he’ll love the company.”

  Emily couldn’t stand to say no. “On one condition. Chester will have to approve.”

  “I’ll send you the address,” said Kurt. “Prancer’s getting a little impatient for his walk. Let me know what happens. I’d take the cat myself, but you know how the king feels about cats.”

  After Kurt left, Henry closed up the primer can and followed the girls into the house.

  “Can we go pick up the cat now?” asked Maddy. “We have to stop and get food bowls and a litter box, unless you think it can share a litter box with Chester. And what about the commercial? Can we bring the cat to try out? Sounds like he earned his spot.”

  “First things first,” said Emily. Let me check the address and call to make sure they’re open.” She was hesitant to bring another pet into the household, but it seemed to cheer up Maddy quite a bit––much more than the shopping spree had. “You’re coming with us, right, Henry?” the tone of her voice left him without a choice.

  “Let me wash off my hands and we’re good to go.”

  The Polished Pet was downtown next to the antiques store. They decided to pick up the cat before the shop closed and worry about the accessories later. A well-dressed couple carrying out a freshly pampered Yorkie squeezed past them on their way in. When they were out of earshot, Henry whispered to Maddy, “Don’t you think those pink bows make the dog look idiotic?”

  The shop smelled of fresh paint. One of the white, wooden walls was covered by a mural of cats and dogs picnicking by the beach. A chorus of barking came from the back room.

  Emily rang the bell on the counter and the owner appeared. “Excuse me. I’m here to pick up Danielle LaPierre’s cat.”

  The owner was a pleasant older woman with strands of gray hair peeking out from under her blue bandana. “Poor kitty’s been moping around. He hasn’t eaten anything in the past two days. Can’t imagine why anyone would leave such a cutie abandoned at my shop. And the owner seemed to care so much about him, too.”

  Emily said, “I’m sure she loved him very much. Un
fortunately, there was a terrible accident and Ms. Pierre is no longer with us.”

  The owner’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. How awful!”

  “Yes, such a tragedy. I’m sure her cat senses it, poor baby.” Emily couldn’t help thinking of when Fiona died, leaving Maddy behind. “But we’re here to make sure her cat has a new home. He’ll be well taken care of.”

  Maddy pet a tabby through its mesh cage while they waited. She and the cat began a two-syllable conversation consisting of ‘meow’ in varied lengths and pitches.

  “Your daughter is a born animal lover. I can always tell.”

  “She’s not really our…” Although Emily was beginning to feel like Maddy’s mother, she felt as if she was betraying her deceased friend by taking parental credit.

  Henry intercepted. “Yes, Maddy is definitely an animal lover. That’s our girl.” He saw Maddy roll her eyes at the remark.

  “I’ll go get Max. He’s a real sweetheart.”

  The owner went into the back. Meanwhile, Henry grabbed a rolling plastic cat toy from the shelf. Emily browsed through a rack of collars, and chose a royal blue one with a safety clasp. Maddy was still occupied with the tabby when the groomer reappeared.

  Maddy’s eyes lit up like sunshine when she saw the furry, orange cat, Max. Max sniffed her hand and within seconds he was wrapped in her arms, much to the chagrin of the newly abandoned, caged tabby.

  “Looks like we have ourselves a second cat,” said Henry. He scratched Max behind the ears.

  “I’m sure Max’s human mother, may she rest in peace, is thrilled to know Max is taken care of.” The owner looked toward the door when she heard the familiar jingle announcing a customer. Maddy tightened her hold on her new baby, worried he’d try to jump down, but Max barely reacted. An older woman with a tight, yellowed gray bun entered holding a carrier. Henry thought he recognized her from lunch at Coralee’s.

  “Hello, are you the owner? I called earlier about having Tiara shampooed before the big audition.”